Hundreds Gather For Funeral Of Tortured Spy
9:48pm Tuesday September 21, 2010
Ian Collier
Hundreds of mourners have paid their final respects to a British spy who worked as an undercover agent and was tortured by the Gestapo after being captured three times.
Family, friends and members of the three armed services came together to remember Eileen Nearne MBE. Miss Nearne, 89, operated as an undercover agent called Rose during the Second World War. Documents found in Miss Nearne's Devon home after her death revealed she was sent to occupied France as a member of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War. A fluent French speaker, she was captured three times by the Germans and endured spells in concentration camps, managing to escape each time.
I hope that in death, she will be remembered along with other SOE Agents with pride and gratitude for the work they did both here and behind enemy lines during the Second World War.
<cite> Eileen Nearne's niece
</cite> More than 300 people, including members of Britain's three armed forces, filled Our Lady Help of Christians and St Denis Roman Catholic Church in Torquay for a requiem mass. Miss Nearne's niece, who was traced to Italy following her aunt's death and who wants to remain anonymous, addressed the service. Speaking beforehand, she said: "I would like to thank everyone for their kind wishes and support at this very sad time.
"My aunt Eileen was a very private and modest person and without doubt she would be astounded by all the public and media attention. "I hope that in death, she will be remembered along with other SOE Agents with pride and gratitude for the work they did both here and behind enemy lines during the Second World War." Also attending the service were members of the Special Forces Club - a London-based organisation founded in 1946 by surviving members of the SOE - and representatives of the French military.
More than 300 mourners paid their respects
Mourners also lined the streets of Torquay to remember Miss Nearne and around 100 gathered outside the church to listen to the 90-minute service relayed on speakers. Miss Nearne parachuted into France in 1944 she played a vital role as a wireless operator in transmitting intelligence to the Allies about V1 rocket sites, which led to the famous Operation Crossbow.
Her bravery earned her the MBE and the French Croix de Guerre. Reclusive Miss Nearne died in her home on September 2 after suffering a heart attack. Initial plans for her to be given a low-key council funeral changed with the publicity about her bravery in the war.
